Chapter 76

Daili was too tired. Once her nerves relaxed even slightly, many of her bodily functions went out of control, and she fell into a deep sleep.

She had originally planned to wake up early the next morning at the beginning of the Chen hour, which was around seven or eight o'clock. However, since there were no alarm clocks in this era, and she had automatically tuned out the hustle and bustle outside her window, Daili slept straight through until the end of the Wu hour.

Clutching the quilt, Daili abruptly sat up from the bed. Looking at the angle of the sunlight entering the room, she muttered, "Oh no, this is bad."

The city gates opened at the first light of dawn, which was over three shichen ago. Three shichen, six hours—so much could be done in that time.

Daili didn't dare to delay any further. She immediately got up to wash and dress, and applied some makeup.

The inn she had carefully selected was on the smaller side, with a very average location. In terms of cleanliness and service, it couldn't compare to other establishments.

But it had one aspect that perfectly suited Daili's wishes, which was...

The young attendant at the front desk was quite perfunctory.

When she checked in and paid yesterday, her identification pass remained in her hands from beginning to end.

That lazy young attendant merely lifted his eyelids to take a glance. He was so casual that he didn't even ask her to move the finger that "accidentally" covered half of her name.

She was certain he hadn't clearly seen the name "He Hua", but that didn't mean she could rest easy.

The sheer number of low-level followers of the Green Lotus Sect was evident from the massive crowd of commoners who attended the grand ceremony on the first day of the month.

They blended into the lowest rungs of society, coming and going without a trace. It was entirely possible that a street vendor was one of them, or even the most ordinary-looking young attendant at a certain inn.

Daili's luggage consisted only of a light, flimsy little bundle containing a few brocade kerchiefs, some hair ointment and face cream, and a few pieces of jewelry. Aside from that, she didn't even have a second set of clothes. As for her silver coins and other small, delicate ornaments, she kept them close to her body, not daring to put them in the small bundle.

She left her guest room and went down the stairs.

Daili thought for a moment and decided to go to the counter to extend her stay. "I'd like to extend my room for two days."

"Sixty coins," the young attendant quoted the price first, taking an extra glance at the bundle on Daili's shoulder. "My lady, you can just leave your things in your room. Our inn is very safe; no one would dare come here to steal."

"No, I'll carry them myself. The last place I stayed at said the same thing, but I still ended up losing things when I returned to my room," Daili refused.

She had thought the young attendant would drop the subject, collect the money, and she would go find some food.

Who would have expected the young attendant to say at this moment, "Our boss's older brother is no ordinary person. His brother knows many powerful figures with immense influence, as well as countless sworn brothers and sisters of different surnames. Let me put it this way: there are plenty of petty thieves in Xia Valley, but here at our place..."

The young attendant stuck out a finger and wagged it. "Thieves wouldn't dare to come."

Daili's brow twitched, and an inexplicable sense of foreboding rose within her. "Countless sworn brothers and sisters? Are you trying to fool me? Even the Peach Garden Oath only bound a few people together."

"Ignorant woman. My boss's older brother is a follower," the young attendant snorted.

The current dynasty had not issued any orders banning the sect, so the common people did not keep their mouths shut about it. In fact, many people even took pride in it.

Daili felt a wave of dizziness.

Yesterday, she had scouted many inns until her feet were sore. She never expected that after all her careful selection, she would walk straight into the enemy camp and choose the absolute worst one.

What terrible luck!

No, not exactly. At least she found out early.

The young attendant said the boss's older brother was a follower, not the boss himself. There was a layer of separation here. As long as they hadn't found their way here yet, there was still time...

However, just as Daili thought this, people hurried in from outside. Judging by the footsteps, there was more than one person.

Then someone spoke:

"Brother, my inn isn't very large. I heard you are looking for a noble person. Why would such a prestigious figure ever take a liking to my small inn?"

"You don't need to worry about that. Just give the young attendant a few instructions."

With her back to the door, Daili's heart suddenly leaped into her throat, then slowly settled down just a fraction.

It sounded like the boss and his brother.

So only two people came?

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency. I will absolutely do my utmost to carry out the orders passed down from above." It was the older brother's voice.

Daili shuddered. In that instant, she felt the muscles and bones in her entire body twitch. A snake-like chill shot up from her tailbone, eventually wrapping its head around her neck, making the surrounding air feel incredibly thin.

This inn was not large. She remembered that the distance from the door to the counter was only about seven steps.

There were more than two people who had arrived!

There were also people from the Green Lotus Sect, and they had come here.

"You're right, then I can stay here with peace of mind." Daili placed the silver coins in her hand onto the counter. "I suddenly remembered that I might have left something in my room. I'll go up and check."

Having said that, Daili didn't wait for the young attendant to respond. She turned sideways and headed toward the stairs.

The main door and the stairs were not on the same side. Walking toward the stairs meant she wouldn't have to face the people at the door.

The young attendant had also heard the voices, and his attention had long since drifted over there. He instinctively swept the money from the counter into the till, then rubbed his hands together and left the counter to greet them.

As for the young lady staying at the inn?

Oh, if she wanted to stay, she could stay; if not, so be it. Either way, the money for the room wasn't going into his pocket.

Right now, entertaining the boss was more important.

Daili's heart beat like a drum, pounding so hard her eardrums ached, but she didn't dare walk too fast. If she showed even a hint of panic, it would definitely draw their attention. Moreover, she didn't know if the "Your Excellency" they mentioned had ever seen her face...

Reaching the foot of the stairs, Daili lifted her foot and began to climb.

The wooden stairs let out soft creaks when stepped on. What would normally be a very ordinary sound now pierced Daili's ears like needles, making every step she took exceptionally difficult.

However, Daili soon realized that she was just being paranoid and had gotten worked up over nothing, because those people hadn't noticed her plain and unremarkable appearance at all.

After turning the corner, Daili stopped in her tracks.

She didn't go upstairs; instead, she hid there to eavesdrop.

"Where is the registry of yesterday's guests? Bring it out for a look," the boss's older brother said.

"Th-there is no registry. Our inn has always just taken a glance at the identification pass during check-in; we don't record them," the young attendant replied, his voice growing quieter and quieter.

"Nonsense, how can you do things this way!" the boss's older brother scolded.

For the next brief moment, Daili didn't hear any immediate voices. It was likely the boss pulling his brother aside to whisper something.

Anyway, a moment later, the boss's older brother cleared his throat lightly. "It's fine if you didn't have one before, but you must have one now. Anyone staying at the inn must have their identification details registered. Go do it right now. Take a small booklet and go door to door..."

Daili's breath caught in her throat. She didn't dare linger any longer and hurriedly went upstairs.

This small inn had three floors, and Daili's room was at the end of the second floor. She walked quickly back into her room, locked the latch on the door, and then threw open the quilt on the bed.

Grabbing one of the corners, she tied it to the heavy bedpost. Daili used a knot meant for escaping fires, so she wasn't worried that the quilt would suddenly come loose midway due to immense force.

The window happened to be right next to the bed. After tying the knot securely, Daili pushed open the window and looked down.

This inn was small in scale, so naturally, it didn't occupy a prime location like the larger inns. It was situated right in an alley, and the paths connecting to it from several directions were also alleys.

Unluckily, at this moment, a woman carrying a bamboo basket on her arm was passing through the alley.

Having just eaten her fill, she was walking at a leisurely pace.

Dai Li bit her lip, burning with anxiety. Since the woman hadn't left yet, she couldn't lower her makeshift blanket rope right now. But she could already hear footsteps approaching.

It was now the end of the noon hour, a time when not many guests remained inside the inn.

"Open the door! Is anyone there?" A knock sounded from outside.

However, it wasn't Dai Li's door being knocked on. She poked her head out to look down again.

The woman had made it more than halfway through and was about to turn out of the alley.

"Who is it? Why are you knocking at this hour? I don't recall asking for a servant to come to my room."

"An important fugitive has recently entered the city, and the authorities are currently searching everywhere. We hope you will cooperate." Dai Li heard an unfamiliar voice.

She guessed this person was the "Your Excellency" the innkeeper had mentioned.

Dai Li stared intently below and decided not to wait any longer. She began to lower the rope first. She lowered it gently, and the woman remained completely unaware, not even pausing her steps as she turned out of the alley.

As soon as the woman was gone, Dai Li immediately climbed onto the window sill.

The first floor of this inn was built quite high, over ten feet tall. Dai Li's current distance from the ground was this height, plus the height of the window sill. If she fell from this height and had the bad luck to hit her head, it wasn't impossible for her to be sent straight to her next reincarnation.

Dai Li dared not relax. She gripped the rope tightly with her hands, trying her best to keep her feet perpendicular to the ground as she descended.

...

Second floor.

"Is anyone there?" The young servant walked further in and knocked on another door.

He knocked for a moment, but no one answered.

"Could they have gone out?" the innkeeper said.

"Push the door open," the innkeeper's older brother said.

None of the guest rooms had exterior locks; to lock the door, one could only slide the latch from the inside. The innkeeper had always been obedient to his older brother, not to mention that when he first opened the inn, his brother had provided part of the funds.

The innkeeper immediately pushed the door open himself.

The room was completely empty.

"Did they go out? Or is it unoccupied?" the innkeeper asked the young servant.

"Oh, oh, this is an empty room, no one is here." The previously dazed young servant finally realized, and as soon as he spoke, he received a smack on the head from the innkeeper. He quickly clutched his head and begged for mercy. "The next one isn't. The room next door is occupied by a lady, and she is definitely inside."

"How do you know she is there?" the innkeeper's older brother asked.

The young servant didn't overthink it. "She came downstairs just now. She originally wasn't going to stay, but then she extended her room for another two days."

"Just now?" someone spoke up.

"Yes, just now, right when you all first arrived. After paying for the extension, she went upstairs." As the young servant spoke, he walked to the door at the end of the corridor and raised his hand to knock. "Lady, please open the door."

There was no answer from inside, nor any sound.

The innkeeper raised his hand to push and found that the latch inside was secured. The door couldn't be pushed open.

"Lady?!" The young servant was still knocking. "Please open the door. An important fugitive has entered the city, and we need to register your travel document information now."

The room remained dead silent.

"Could she have fallen asleep? That shouldn't be, she just came down fifteen minutes ago..." the young servant muttered to himself.

"Everyone step aside." This meant someone was going to kick the door down.

The innkeeper wasn't too pleased, but seeing his brother's resolute expression and noting that the person beside him was dressed unlike an ordinary civilian, he had to swallow his words of refusal.

Bang!

The door took a tremendously forceful kick. The rather thin latch inside was sent flying, and the two door panels burst open abruptly.

A gust of cold wind suddenly blew in, like a giant, invisible hand ruthlessly plucking at the nerves of the men present.

This guest room wasn't large, with no separation between an inner and outer chamber. Standing at the doorway, one could directly see the bed inside.

And at this moment, everyone clearly saw a blanket twisted into a rope, with one end tied to the bedpost and the other stretching toward the wide-open window.

Two figures dashed forward simultaneously, rushing to the window and sticking their heads out to look.

Outside the window, the unraveled blanket fluttered in the wind. The alley below was completely empty, with not a single shadow of a person in sight.

"It's definitely her! She was in the room just now!"

"She hasn't been gone long, she absolutely couldn't have gone far."

Someone vaulted over the window sill with a swift push of their hands, grabbed the blanket rope, and slid down with a whoosh. In the blink of an eye, their feet hit the ground.

The alley had two ends. The man first sprinted toward the end leading to the main street, but the pedestrians on the street all looked perfectly normal, and he didn't see anyone running. He then doubled back to check the other end.

The other end connected to more alleys. Let alone a person, there wasn't even the shadow of a flying bird.

Upstairs.

The innkeeper's older brother was interrogating the young servant. "What kind of clothes was that lady wearing at the time? What did she look like? Tell me quickly."

The young servant stammered, "Just... just the attire of an ordinary woman. Her face was dark, and she had quite a few black moles on it. She had a habit of keeping her head down, so I didn't see too clearly."

...

Dai Li had already slipped away two streets over, but the invisible boulder pressing on her chest remained entirely unmoved, still suffocating her.

They had caught up to her; this entire area was unsafe.

Yesterday, she had gone to many places and wandered through most of Xia Valley. Now, having left that area, she wouldn't be stumbling around blindly like a headless fly.

After walking continuously for three streets and confirming she had put a good distance between herself and the inn, Dai Li turned and entered an eatery.

This eatery only had one floor and no private rooms; all the diners ate in the main hall. As it was well past the usual mealtime, there were only a handful of people inside, just a sparse scattering of patrons.

Dai Li didn't deliberately choose the darkest corner, but she did sit near a corner with her back facing the entrance.

After ordering a bowl of noodle soup, Dai Li began to ponder her next move. The biggest problem right now was her travel document. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a wooden tablet and looked down at it.

Name: He Hua

Dai Li stared at these two words for a long time, and suddenly, the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.

She had it!!

"Lady, your noodle soup is here." The servant brought over the noodle soup.

With the path ahead much clearer, and given that Dai Li was indeed hungry, she ate this meal with exceptional relish, even ordering an extra serving of sesame flatbread afterward.

After finishing her lunch, Dai Li didn't head outside but instead walked toward the eatery's kitchen. The kitchen was located in the backyard, an area that was logically off-limits to idlers. Just like right now, the servant stopped Dai Li.

"Please stop here, lady. That's the kitchen over there, it's not open to the public," the young servant said.

Dai Li replied, "I don't intend to go into your esteemed establishment's kitchen to cause trouble. I only wish to borrow one item for a minor use. I won't use it for free; I'll borrow it for fifteen minutes and offer you ten coins in return. How about it?"

Fifteen minutes, ten coins.

The servant was completely dumbfounded. He worked hard all day in the shop to earn twenty-five coins, and this single offer was nearly half a day's wages for him.

"What item do you wish to borrow, lady?" the servant hurriedly asked.

Dai Li smiled and said, "A knife. I'd like to borrow a small knife from your shop."

Just saying it wasn't enough. She took a handful of silver coins from her coin purse. "I wonder if you could do me this small favor? I will stay right here in the shop and won't take it away. In fifteen minutes, I will definitely return it in perfect condition."

The servant stared at the money in her hand, his mind racing. Ten coins. He could keep half and give the other half to Cook Liu, who would most likely be willing to lend the knife.

"Alright, please wait a moment, lady," the servant agreed.

Soon, he returned with a small knife. "Will this one do?"

Dai Li handed him the money and took the knife. "It is perfect. Thank you."

Returning to the main hall, Dai Li sat in a corner this time, her back still facing the entrance.

With the knife in one hand and the small wooden plaque in the other, she deliberately tucked the back half of the plaque into her sleeve, exposing only the section with the name.

Then, Dai Li got to work.

The name was He Hua. She planned to add a grass radical to the top of the character He, changing it to the word for lotus.

The character Hua was difficult to alter, so Dai Li simply left it alone and instead added an extra character at the end. Her physical strength was limited, and she could not wield the knife for long, so she chose a very simple character: just the word for scholar.

New name: Lotus Scholar.

The name sounded rather strange, but there were plenty of peculiar names in this era. Given her limited resources, she had no other choice but to make do with it.

Dai Li was extremely cautious while altering and adding the characters. In this era, the regulation of travel passes was very strict. Those caught peddling forged passes would, at best, be beheaded on the spot; at worst, they would suffer severe physical torture before being sent to meet the King of Hell.

Of course, forged passes were not easy to create anyway. The official seals stamped on them were complex and meticulous, not something that could be casually faked.

She had said she would borrow the knife for a quarter of an hour, and exactly a quarter of an hour it was.

A quarter of an hour later, Dai Li returned the knife. She then rubbed black ointment into the scratches, seamlessly forming the new handwriting.

Mission accomplished!

Dai Li relaxed her brows in relief.

They knew she was in the Xia Valley, so the ferry crossings and the various city gates would certainly be guarded. Since that was the case, she might as well stay in the city for a while and wait for the heat to die down before leaving.